The Real Mathura ke Dubki Wale Aloo , Aloo Ki Subzi, Aloo Jhol

 Mathura ke Dubki Wale Aloo – Potatoes cooked in a thin and spicy broth – Potato curry from my Home town Mathura

Potato is the only vegetable which is cooked and loved by everyone in the world. We Indians use and make many versions of potato curry, every state has its own special style of making them. Today I am posting the most famous potato curry from my home town MATHURA!

Though I have posted few potato curries in my blog, but don’t know how I forgot to post the famous and special –Mathura ke dubki wale aloo. This spicy and watery dish is more broth than curry, and is the specialty of my hometown Mathura. Khasta kachoris served with this aloo curry and hot jalebis are the favourite breakfast of the people of Mathura, every morning you will find sweet and snack shops, street hawkers, stalls selling this aloo subzi with khasta kachoris and people queuing outside the shop for their chance. If you visit Mathura then do taste the best khasta kachori with dubki waley aloo ki sabzi at the Oma Halwai shop which is in front of Brijwasi shop at Holi Gate.

What is the difference between regular aloo subzi and Mathura ke dubki waale aloo?

I have seen numerous recipes of Mathura ke dubki wale aloo on the net, which are yellow and thick curries with loads of potato and tomatoes added. This is incorrect – In Mathura ke dubki wale aloo, no tomatoes are used. The dish was originated as an easy to make, inexpensive accompaniment to kachoris, and therefore no street hawker would use expensive ingredients such as tomatoes to make it (especially given the fact that people ask for extra subzi all the time!). Mathura ke dubki waale aloo are watery, with a dark green (almost black) colour. The dark color is because of the iron kadhai it is cooked in (where it is boiled for 2-3 hours so that the potatoes get done and the spices settle in well). The longer it simmers, the darker and tastier it gets.

The dish is now so ubiquitous in Mathura, that it is a permanent feature in menus of all weddings that happen in Mathura. The menu is incomplete without this potato subzi, and the addition of so many fresh herbs and spices makes it good for the digestion too. In weddings, it typically simmered from the evening till late in the night.The authentic dubki waley aloo you get in the weddings and functions only,the street hawkers and kachori walas are now selling a slight thicker version of this sabzi though the taste remains the same.

This subzi is very different from the Railway stations wali curry served with hot Poori’s as station wali aloo ki sabzi. I’ll be posting the recipe of that very soon.

If you love potatoes then check- Aloo matar,  Achari aloo , Dahi ke aloo , Dum aloo masala , Aloo tuk 

So the points to be noted are:

1. Dubki waley aloo are made with out adding any tomatoes.
2. It is cooked in an Iron kadhai.
3. It is a thin curry with less aloo and more watery curry.
4. Lots of whole garam masala is ground freshly and added in the curry.
5. Simmered for quite long to absorb the flavours.

Why is the dish named “Dubki Waley Aloo”?

Traditionally this curry is made quite thin and watery and it is said you need to dive and swim (“dubki maarna” in hindi) around in the curry to be able to find a single potato . Hence the name “Dubki Waaley Aloo”.

How to make Dubki wale Aloo?

The method of making this dubki wale aloo is very simple yet different then the regular aloo ki sabzi. Normally we first temper the curry, saute the spices and then add the vegetables but as this dish was invented by street hawkers who have to start early in the morning and do not have time for such ceremony – in this dish, boiled and mashed potatoes, all spices ,herbs and water are mixed together in one go to make a thin watery curry and then it is left to simmer in an iron kadhai (while the hawker then focuses on making the main dish – kachoris , which take a long time). The main spice in this dish is  fresh garam masala, don’t use the ready made powdered garam masala if you want to get the taste of authentic mathura ke dubki wale aloo. The curry is thin and spicy so no compromise on that :). This sabzi is usually served with Bedmi Poori or Urad daal ki khasta kachori and the accompaniments served with are the delicious  Khatta Metha Kaddu and Boondi ka Raita.